Dozens killed in SPLA clashes with armed civilians in Lakes state
By Manyang Mayom
February 22, 2010 (RUMBEK) — An official said that 30 people are confirmed dead and over 30 people were wounded in clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army soldiers and armed civilians in Cueibet County in Lakes State. Six or seven soldiers belonging to SPLA are also confirmed dead and seven other from the SPLA are injured.
But Lakes state deputy governor Lt-Col David Nok Marial said that a reliable source had told him that only 18 civilians are dead and about 30 people were reported to have sustained serious injuries. Many civilians have fled since confrontation started, with elderly people and women plus children suffering under the trees, he said. He called upon UN agencies to rush with humanitarian assistance to the victims.
Fighting erupted over the weekend in the western part of Lakes state in Cueibet county area when civilians tried to break into a gun store to regain weapons which were seized recently by state authorities after a cattle raid. Cattle raiding between the Cueibet community and Rek Dinka of Warrap State has been on-going since last Thursday.
SPLA official spokesperson Major General Kuol Deim Kuol said one of the army’s captains was captured and killed in the wake of the fighting by angry armed civilians. The captain was traveling to home on leave with the dead body of his brother who had died in Juba. Also a first lieutenant was killed in the attack.
Since Sunday, senior officers of the SPLA started arriving to Cueibet in response to the violence, including Major General Akuei Adal Akuei who is in charge of the SPLA forces in Lakes state, Deputy Chief of SPLA General Staff Lt-Gen Oboto Mamuor, SPLA director of intelligence Major General John Lat Zechariah, as well as Lt-Gen Daniel Awet Akot, outgoing governor of the state.
Houses and shops are looted as well more houses were burnt down. Kuol Deim Kuol say that “In this very senior officers from SPLA general headquarters had also arrived Cueibet on Monday again, is quite.
The SPLA spokesman insisted that after a preliminary investigation it is clear that the two slain chiefs were not killed during the clashes between civilian population and SPLA, but had died half an hour before in crossfire between police and the civilian population.
The paramount chief Jok Dau Kachol was killed along with executive chief Aciek Malek Konybai and another person, and their dead bodies were burnt in a house by soldiers, said an eyewitness. Cueibet County Commissioner Kong Ngor blames pastoralists for attempting to break into the gun store.
Kuol affirmed that seven SPLA solders are confirmed dead including two officers while 21 were killed on the civilians’ side and more then 30 people wounded.
Civilians reported that SPLA were using RPGs and some heavy guns. In reply, Kuol said that the force in Cueibet were a very small company and they were surrounded by civilians. The soldiers had to use maximum force to protect themselves.
Kuol said the situation is not friendly to SPLA on the ground in Cueibet and that the General Headquarters had to send its senior officers to see what happened. He did not mention when the SPLA soldiers would be withdrawn from Cueibet. He also added that the incident in Cueibet was unacceptable. “The law will take place and those who are responsible must to be brought to book,” he said.
“We were shot at at 3 p.m. while settling civilian cases in the court by SPLA soldiers – we don’t know what was going on by the way” said a victim in a hospital bed.
Transport between Lakes state and Western Bhar-El-Gazal has been stopped by Nationdit bus manager saying that the situation is unacceptable for passengers to travel. Passengers who were coming out from Juba heading to Western Bhar-El-Gazal are stationed in Rumbek at Nationdit bus station and they have run out of food to eat as well as those coming from Wau to Rumbek who are holding in Tonj fearing being harmed on the road.
(ST)
Wal P Muoranyar Biet
Dozens killed in SPLA clashes with armed civilians in Lakes state
So now, what good had been done by collecting the guns and stopping the those civilians from taking their gun? They brought a complain that they were being attack by Rek armed men, as a responsible army, why didn’t the SPLA intervene and stopped the reason which compelled those civilians to attempt getting guns? This is very bad of SPLA. A libration army doesn’t fire on the people for which it was formed. I’m a veteran of SPLA, I’m ashamed of such incident. It had been said that we are going to fail by our enemies and people of the world. Now, SPLA is proving it to those prophets that we are indeed going to fail and are uncabable of running our country. Too bad, too bad SPLA!
Wal Muoranyar Biet
Dinka Boy
Dozens killed in SPLA clashes with armed civilians in Lakes state
This incident is completely incredible.
SPLM must hunt for those of Rek because the were the one attacking the camp of Gok for no reason.
The civilians have the emotionally right to try to get their own gun in the store because they have been attack by those with gun. And that is why i say that SPLA must hunt for the root cause of this issue because it is nasty at all for our own and the same people die for no reasonable cause.
This disramament will turned against SPLA if they fail to disarmed others communities perfectly.
I don,t this innocent people to die without amajor caused of death.
The only people i am really blaming are those of Rek Dinka who attack Gok because that escalate the anger of Gok to attack SPLA.
This is very bad indeed.
Controller
Dozens killed in SPLA clashes with armed civilians in Lakes state
Cueibet County is under attack by SPLA militia or Extremist-activists.
The Gok community has been disarmed by SPLA two years ago and then leaving the Rek Dinka community with their guns.
Now the Gok Community are getting killed by Rek Dinka community day and night like wild animals.
What do you think the Gok or Cueibet County people would do?
They have right to get their guns back and protect themselves with Rek Dinka community gangsters, if the SPLA failed to protect them.
This Disarmament is the disaster in the whole relion.
It must be stopped immediately, or this country gonna red with blood very soon. This SPLA party is full criminal corruption.
It is time for southerners to change the causes and look for better party that stand beside civilians.
Thanks
Time1
Dozens killed in SPLA clashes with armed civilians in Lakes state
It is up to the people of Lakes state to choose between law and order or chaos and impunity, citizens cannot behave like they are above the law, they have to respect the constitutional institutions like the police, the army and the judicial system which are all body of the government.
As long as people think they are above the law and they do not want to give in their weapons, they do not want to respect the police and authorities of the state, it is them who will suffer, they will push their development back and hinder their young children and future generation from getting all the benefits of peace which include peace , stability, education, health, agriculture, communication and more development projects.
Respecting the law and order is the important in development. without this the people will not move forward but will always have conflicts and fighting among themselves.